‘Brady won a Super Bowl in 2001 with a familiar recipe: limited offensive mistakes, a fantasy defense, a playoff bye and good fortune. That appears to be that Pats’ only path forward this season, with two sub-standard offenses left on the schedule to dismantle before earning that bye. Pick: New England Patriots 16, Buffalo Bills 14.’
Archives for December 2019
What Bills fans need to know about the AFC playoff race | Week 16
‘What needs to happen for the Bills to get a first round bye? Buffalo must defeat the Patriots in Week 16 and the New York Jets in Week 17 and New England will need to lose to the Bills in Week 16 and the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 and the Kansas City Chiefs need to lose at Chicago in Week 16 or vs. the Los Angeles in KC in Week 17.’
Bills Today | NFL.com analyst Michael Robinson’s bold prediction for today’s Bills-Pats game
‘The AFC East clash between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills on Saturday is bound to be a good one. In their Week 4 meeting, the Patriots came out victorious by a narrow margin, winning 16-10. This weekend’s contest will likely be decided by one thing: turnovers. The Patriots’ defense, which ranks No. 1 in the NFL in several metrics, leads the league in takeaways with 36, and holding onto the ball is something Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense has struggled to do at times. Allen has fumbled 14 times this season (four were lost), and he threw three picks his last time out against New England. This weekend, though, the Bills won’t commit a single turnover against Bill Belichick’s vaunted unit, which is ultimately enough to lead them to victory.’
After Pro Bowl snub, Bills’ John Brown focused on rematch with Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore
‘”I don’t even care about any Pro Bowl,” said Brown, who was named a fourth alternate. “To me, it’s about popularity. I already knew (the snub) was coming, so at the end of the day, it is what it is. I’m not upset or nothing. At the end of the day, I’m just focused on winning.”‘
Bills need to keep wraps on Patriots’ once-great ground game
‘To what degree can the Bills shut down the Pats run game Saturday? That will be key to Buffalo’ chances, because Tom Brady and the Pats’ passing game is struggling on third down.’
News’ staff predictions for Bills at Patriots in Week 16
‘While the Bills held their ground against the Patriots in September, the Patriots are still the standard of the AFC East. Patriots, 23-14.’
Betting trends and pick for Bills at Patriots
‘Expect a chess match with both highly ranked defenses challenging the offenses. And grab the 6.5 points while you’re at it.’
He’s bowled a 299 and was adopted as an adult: What you don’t know about Jordan Phillips
‘“Whoever didn’t vote for Jordan, you’re not my friend,” Oliver said Wednesday afternoon. “I voted for him and I feel like he should be a starter in the Pro Bowl. Point blank, period. Competing with him has elevated my game, that’s why I’m hurt that he’s not a Pro Bowler.”’
For McDermott, touted ‘process’ arrives for Bills
‘Still, heading into Saturday afternoon’s game against the Patriots at Foxboro, McDermott’s regular-season record is a solid 25-21 and, over that span, his team is 13-8 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Equally compelling, he’s the first Buffalo coach to have a pair of winning seasons within three years since Wade Phillips did it back-to-back (1998-99).’
Bills, Josh Allen learned lessons in loss vs. Patriots: Here’s how they’re changing course
‘“It was so different then. It’s hard to even remember what we were doing then. We’ve changed so much as an offense since the beginning of the year,” said Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley. “It keeps evolving and it’s probably still going to continue to do that.”’
‘I could see Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl,’ says Rich Eisen
‘“I could see the Bills in the Super Bowl… It’s possible they make a run. We can’t sit here and go, ‘You know what? This is a nice story.’ You really have to sit here and think they’ve got one of the top corners in the game, a top five defense, a quarterback that is difficult to predict… Mostly positive than negative as opposed to last year. A running game and a top notch playmaker in Brown.”‘
ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser called Sean McDermott ‘muscle-bound bozo’ in 2017; retracts after Bills playoff-clinching win
‘“I’m making a public declaration here,” Kornheiser said on his show Pardon The Interruption this week. “A couple of years ago I looked at this guy Sean McDermott, when he declared his fealty to Nathan Peterman. I said, ‘This guy is a bozo. They’re gonna fire him. They need to fire him.’ I could not have been more wrong. They hadn’t made the (playoffs) in 17 straight years and they’re in two out of the last three. This guy, I thought he was a muscle-bound bozo. He knows what he’s doing.”’
Demos: Bills’ Lawson spreads Christmas cheer for 2 NF student-athletes
‘Lawson calls it “a blessing” to be able to shine light on some local kids who may go through dark days at this time of the year. He said he was the same kid who needed help back in the day and that, at the very least, he’s just happy to see smiles on kids’ faces during the holidays. Lawson knows that everyone goes through tough times, but he knows what’s more important is how we overcome adversity. No matter who it is, he hopes people just walk through it with their heads up and continue to fight with smiles on their faces, because through time he feels that things get easier and easier.’
Film study: Expect more of the same struggles from Bills quarterback Josh Allen
‘But in watching Allen on the All-22 tape, he’s still the same quarterback from Week 4. He is a great runner, has a big arm, and plays with impressive toughness, but he is severely limited as a pocket passer. And Belichick usually eats this type of one-dimensional quarterback for lunch.’
Buffalo Bills rookie RB Devin Singletary an emerging NFL star
‘“He is a great back, very elusive and the type of back that if you don’t watch out for him, he will make plays,” said Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr.’